Till the end
by Blue Waters 52
Summary: Despite his best efforts to be friendly, most people have despised Ivan since childhood. But maybe he won't have to die alone with his cat after all.. RussiaxLithuania, Rochu, Chipan/Nichu
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Soo this is probably gonna be longer than my previous fics o3o**

**Pairings: LithuaninaxRussia, RussiaxChina, ChinaxJapan**

**Warnings:**

**1. OOCness**

**2. Grammatical/language mistakes, etc.**

**3. Of the fic dying. How optimistic of me xD (Reviews = motivation = new chapters = fic lives :D) & also late updates.**

**Rated T for... umm.. Belarus xD. But mainly for safety :P**

**What? I've given up on Summaries and titles .**

* * *

Ivan sighed. Another year of being lonely. Of the frightened glances, the whispers. Of everyone avoiding him. He didn't even know why. He always tried to be friendly to everyone and smile at everyone. But for some reason, that scared everyone off even more. Was it because he was bigger than the others? Things were no better at the orphanage. The kids there avoided him too. The two women who looked after the children at the orphanage were nice enough but they were too busy to offer any real company.

He glanced at his third grade Professor who was droning on and on about the addition and subtraction of three digit numbers. Suddenly the door burst open revealing a boy with brown, shoulder length hair and brown eyes who was panting vigorously.

"Sorry I am late Professor" he said.

"Ah. You must be the new Lithuanian boy. May I know why you are late on your first day of school?"

"Umm well.. We arrived late at night and we were tired and we just finished unpacking and.." mumbled the boy.

"Ok that's enough. You may sit down. You will come to class on time from now on, yes?"

"Yes sir!" he replied meekly, before rushing to take the empty seat next to Ivan.

Ivan stared. That was the first time anyone had sat next to him. Throughout the lesson he kept staring at the Lithuanian, who did not seem to notice. He was such a bunch of nerves at coming late that he wanted to make a good impression by paying full attention in class.

After that they had English, and then Science. Both of which were quite uneventful. Next came recess, which Ivan usually spent alone in the playground.

As soon as the bell rang everyone rushed out the door, and eventually Ivan and the Lithuanian boy were the only ones left. After packing his bag, the latter smiled at Ivan and held out his hand.

"My name is Toris. What's yours?"

Ivan stared curiously at the outstretched hand before cautiously extending his own.

"Ivan."

"Nice to meet you Ivan."

"…Does this means we are friends now?"

Toris nodded.

"We will be good friends, da?" Ivan said with a smile, which usually creeped people out but did not seem to have such an effect on Toris.

Toris nodded again with a smile, "Umm what are we supposed to do right now..?"

"It's recess now. Most of us play outside. But I sit on the bench in the corner because nobody play's with me and it's pretty there."

"Really? Can I come with you?"

"Da! Follow me.."

* * *

'Ivan's corner' was a secluded part of the playground hidden behind trees, and with lots of sunflowers. No one knew or remembered who planted them there.

"It is really pretty here," said Toris, taking a seat next to Ivan on the bench.

"Da. I love sunflowers."

The two of them gazed at the said sunflowers for a while.

"That's a nice scarf Ivan."

"Thank you Tori. My sister gave it to me."

"Your sister?"

"Da. My older sister, Yekatrina."

Toris sighed, "It must be nice to have a sister.."

"Actually I have two. Yekatrina and Natalya. But we don't live together."

"…Why not?"

"When we were younger, our parents got divorced. My mother took Yekatrina and went to live in Canada while Natalya and I lived here with my father. But a year ago, my father had an accident and died. From then on I live at an orphanage. They could not find a way to contact my mother and I do not remember her address or number.."

"You stay at the orphanage with Natalya?"

"Nyet.. They keep her at some special place. They say something happened to her after the accident. That she is not well. They say I am not old enough to meet her.."

Toris frowned, "I'm sorry.."

"You don't have to say sorry.. When I am older, I will become stronger. I will help Natalya get better, and then we will go find mother. We will become one again, and I will protect my family." said Ivan his eyes shining.

He then turned to Toris.

" I will protect my friend too," he said patting Toris's head, while Toris gave an awkward laugh.

Just then the bell rang and the two hurried off together so as to not be late for their next class.

School went on, with Toris sitting next to Ivan for all their class, and Ivan smiling at him throughout in return. (^J^)

When the bell rang, signalling the end of the school day, Toris waved goodbye to Ivan at the school gates before hurrying towards his car.

The other kids were still whispering behind Ivan. About him, and even Toris. But for once Ivan didn't care. This was the first time in his whole life that he wasn't lonely.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Soo the chibi!version is probably not gonna last long. probably just one more chapter before they grow up. **

* * *

The next day, Toris was quite early. Ivan was already seated on his usual bench, and Toris went and sat beside him. It was around fifteen minutes before the start of their first class and very few students were in the classroom.

While waiting for the class bell to ring, the two heard a voice call out, "Hello Liet~"

Upon looking up, they saw someone about their age with blue eyes and shoulder length blond hair. The person was carrying a pink bag with a pony on it and was wearing a pink sweater with jeans that were slightly tighter than usual. Whether the person was a boy or girl, it was hard to tell.

"What? Have you, like, forgotten your fabulous neighbour?"

"Oh hello Feliks. But, you know, we have only been neighbours for half a day.. You and your family moved in yesterday afternoon…" replied Toris nervously.

"So? We're totally gonna be awesome neighbours!"

"I suppose…"

"Tori, why did he call you 'Liet'?" whispered Ivan.

"Because I'm from Lithuania. He thinks it's nice nickname," Toris whispered back, mentally facepalming.

"It's, like, totally not nice to whisper in front of someone like that," said Feliks, frowning.

"Uhh sorry.."

By then, the class bell rang and everyone settled down.

Throughout the lessons, Feliks kept throwing paper planes at Toris and trying to get his attention. Which Toris, and for some reason Ivan too, found somewhat annoying.

Ivan couldn't wait for recess, when he and Toris could go and sit on the bench in his corner and gaze at the pretty sunflowers in peace.

Unfortunately for him, Feliks had no intention of leaving them alone and decided to tag along as well, much to Ivan's dismay.

"These are, like, so pretty!" exclaimed Feliks when there.

He then proceeded to pluck one of the sunflowers, something which Ivan did not like at all. Each of the sunflowers were like his friends.

Feliks on the other hand, continued to rant.

"We had huge stables back in Poland," he said, holding up his arms to indicate their size.

"And we had five ponies; Hazel, Lightning, Chestnut, Ginger, and Snowfall," he continued, counting each one on his fingers one by one. Since the stables here weren't big enough for all five, we only brought two ponies along with us; Chestnut and Snowfall. Not that the name 'Snowfall' suits her anymore," continued Feliks with a laugh.

Toris tilted his head with a questioning look.

"A month or so before we left, I dyed her pink," Feliks explained with a shrug.

Toris almost fell off the bench.

"Dyed her pink?!" he exclaimed.

"Took ten packets of pink hair dye too," Feliks mused with a pout.

"Mum was furious. But whether she was more upset about the money wasted on hair dye or a pink Snowfall I couldn't tell," he added with a giggle.

Toris gave Feliks a look.

"What?! Don't look at me like that. It's their fault for not letting me paint the house, or even my room pink!" huffed Feliks.

"This sunflower is for her," Feliks added as an afterthought, "It'll look really nice in her mane after I've plaited it, don't you think?"

Ivan frowned. Last time he checked, ponies did not enjoy being treated like Barbie dolls.

Toris just nodded. He had nothing to say.

Feliks yawned.

"I miss Poland so much already. The meadows, my old house which was so much larger, Lightning, Hazel and Ginger.." he went on mumbling, before curling up on the ground and falling asleep.

Ivan and Toris breathed a sigh of relief. They really had had enough of Feliks and his pony stories for one day.

"Hey Tori?~" asked Ivan after a while.

"Hmm?"

"You'll never leave me will you? You'll always be my friend and stay by my side forever?"

"Yep" muttered Toris absent-mindedly.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

Soon the bell rang and Feliks was still asleep.

"Uhh I think we should wake him up," suggested Toris nervously.

"Can't we just leave him here?" asked Ivan mournfully.

Toris shook his head.

"No. That won't be a very nice thing to do. And I am his new neighbour after all.."

So after waking him up, the two dragged a very groggy Feliks to class.

The lessons continued a lot more peacefully than the ones before recess as Feliks had fallen asleep again.

After school ended, Feliks waved goodbye to Ivan and Toris at the gates.

"I'll, like, tell you more about my totally awesome life in Poland tomorrow!" exclaimed Feliks cheerfully while Ivan and Toris sweatdropped.

"Sooo.. What do you think about my new neighbour?" asked Toris with an awkward laugh after Feliks had gone.

Ivan remained silent for a while.

"He talks too much."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Chapter may contain OOCness, grammatical errors, etc.**

* * *

As time went by, Toris and Ivan became better friends. There was still a bit of awkwardness between them and they weren't completely open with each other either, but they had begun to understand each other a lot more. They knew how the other was feeling even when nothing had been said. The slight signs in body language usually gave them away completely.

Toris also got used to Feliks and his rants, and to some extent they became friends too, but Toris was closer to Ivan. Toris often felt forgotten when he was with Feliks, as Feliks went on ranting about Poland, ponies and whatnot and would barely let Toris speak. But Feliks spoke with genuine enthusiasm and hence Toris didn't mind that much.  
As for Feliks and Ivan, the two never really got along together. Feliks found Ivan boring while Ivan found Feliks loud and annoying. Toris was the only reason the two bared with each other.  
Also, Ivan disliked the fact that since Feliks was Toris's neighbour, he could go over and see him whenever he felt like after school and during holidays while Ivan only got to see Toris during school hours.

* * *

One day, about two years after their first encounter, Ivan noticed something strange about Toris. He seemed more nervous than usual and slightly upset as well.

"What's wrong Tori?" he asked.

Toris jumped a bit.  
"Eh? Oh.. Umm.. N-nothing.. Nothing at all.." he replied.

Ivan frowned.  
"Don't lie Tori…"

"No really!" said Toris with a nervous laugh, shaking his head frantically in denial.

Ivan wasn't convinced but he left it at that.

Soon it was recess.  
Ivan and Toris almost always went to Ivan's corner during recess. As for Feliks, sometimes he went along with the two (much to Ivan's dismay), but at other times, he got bored and went off to hang out with the other kids. He could have Toris all to himself after school anyways, something which he loved bragging about to Ivan when they were alone, infuriating the latter to no end. Ivan didn't even know why this irritated him.

This was such a day, and Feliks waved to them before heading off towards the other direction.

Ivan breathed a sigh of relief. At least his precious sunflowers were safe for today.

Ivan watched Toris gazing intently at the sunflowers, lost deep in thought.

"Tori, please tell me the truth. What's the matter?"

"I t-told you.. It's nothing.." said Toris, smiling nervously.

Ivan could be very intimidating when he wanted to. Even when Toris knew that he would never mean any real harm.

Toris sighed.  
"I'm going away next week.."

"…..What?"

"I'm moving back to Lithuania next week.. We have to move a lot because of Father's job, but I didn't know we'd have to leave again so quickly.. We usually stay at one particular place for at least four years.. And I don't want to leave.. Because, well, I like it here.."

Ivan was dazed. He had never thought of anything like this happening.

"But… You promised.."

"Huh?"

"You said you'd always stay with me.."

"Oh.. I'm sorry Ivan.. But there's nothing I can do about it.."

Ivan really didn't want to be alone again.. He remembered how upset he used to be.. And besides, he would miss Toris.

"But you could stay with me, da?! You could stay with me at the orphanage and after finishing school we could travel around with your parents and look for my mother and.." started off Ivan in a confused babble, racking his brains for any way his little Tori would not have to leave.

Toris gave him an apologetic look.  
"Well… At least you'll have Feliks!"

Ivan gave Toris a look.  
"You know we don't get along well.."

He then sighed and turned to look the other way, avoiding eye contact.  
"But you promised.." he mumbled under his breath.

"Ivan?"

No response.

"Ivan? Please don't be mad at me! You know I don't want to leave!" Toris pleaded desperately, nudging Ivan, who ignored him completely.

But Ivan was more hurt than angry..

And so the day continued, with Ivan ignoring Toris who tried to plead and reason to no avail.

After the school bell rang, signalling the end of the school day, Ivan began packing his bag and gathering up his things.  
Just then, Feliks barged into the class with Toris following meekly behind him. The two had followed the professor out of the classroom to clarify some doubts.

"Hey Ivan! Liet is, like, leaving next week! This is totally not cool!" exclaimed Feliks with a frown and an exaggerated pout.

Ivan's expression hardened, but he continued to gather his belongings, ignoring Feliks.

"Hellooo! I'm, like, talking to you!" went on Feliks, waving a hand in front of Ivan's face.

No response.

"Ookaayy . No one wants to talk to _you _either," said Feliks, storming out the class.

"Liet!" he then called out.

"Just a moment Feliks!" Toris called back.

"Ivan.. This is my last week here... Please talk to me.."

Ivan said nothing and avoided Toris's gaze, who then sighed and joined Feliks outside.

* * *

This continued for the next week. Ivan continued to ignore and avoid Toris who continued making feeble attempts at reconciliation. As for Feliks, he was all too happy to have Toris all to himself on his last week.

Finally, it was Toris's last day at school.  
Even though Ivan did not talk to him, he kept sending secret glances his way. This would be the last he would get to see of his little Tori after all.

"Bye Ivan.." said Toris at the school gates, hugging Ivan gently, "I'll miss you.. And I'll never ever forget you.."

Ivan didn't hug Toris back. He wanted to, but his anger and hurt held him back.  
While Feliks hugged Toris so hard that he almost suffocated him.

Tears pricked Ivan's eyes as he watched Toris walk away.

"Bye bye Tori.." he whispered to himself.

* * *

**AN: Yayz an update :D  
Im not sure about how this chapter turned out though.. ^^"  
Less entertaining than the last one because of the lack of Poland i guess xD**

** Anon Liet Lover: Omg thanks so much :D I really didn't have much hopes for this fic.. ^^"  
Oh and Im really sorry but Lithuania and even Poland are not gonna be in the fic for a while ^^" Sorry...**


	4. Chapter 4

Ivan walked down the frosted lane on the chilly winter evening.

He was finally going to meet his sister Natalya. He was finally 'old enough' to see her.  
Upon reaching his teens, they had finally told him that she was in a mental asylum after a lot of pestering on Ivan's part. But he still wasn't 'old enough' to meet her.  
Ivan frowned at the memory.

And when he finally became eighteen, he got to know that they had sent her off to some bigger asylum in America. He had been so frustrated.  
Since he did not have enough money and no one was willing to fund his trip, he had had to wait till he had earned enough to pay for the trip.

After finishing college through the little amount of money that was left from his father's will, he went on to do all sorts of odd jobs until finally earning enough to keep him afloat and pay for the trip.  
Once in America, he had been fairly lucky. There had been a lot more job opportunities for him, and now, at twenty three, he was a successful businessman.

He had also got himself a cat and named him Koshka.  
He was a big, fluffy thing and seemed to have a permanent smile on his face.  
He was very clever too, and after just a few months of living with Ivan, he had figured out things like where his food and toys were kept, how to open the door by jumping onto the table nearby and pawing at the handle, etc.  
Although this was very convenient for Ivan, as he didn't have to be around for a long time, having to tend to his work as well, it often led to the fish stock being depleted before time and an even fatter cat.  
Koshka often went out on his own, wandering around the city, and sometimes bringing back a dead pigeon or two. Although Ivan didn't really approve of this practice, he respected Koshka's freedom and let him bring in the pigeons as long as he kept them in his corner.  
Ivan also knew that Koshka would always come back.  
It was almost like having a roommate. Both of them went about their own business through the day, but were there for each other all the same.  
Sometimes, Ivan used to take Koshka to the park nearby. It had many flower beds all around with all sorts of flowers, a few benches here and there for idle passer-bys to relax on, and a big fountain right in the centre. Ivan loved sitting on the bench next to the flower-bed filled with sunflowers. It reminded him of his corner back in school.

He did miss Russia though, that was where he had grown up after all. And it did get lonely sometimes here, despite Koshka.  
Ivan laughed quietly to himself while thinking about it. It wasn't like he had had a whole lot of friends back in Russia either. In fact, the only friend he had had was Toris.  
Ivan stopped midway in his tracks.  
It had been, like, what? About fourteen years since he had last seen Toris, but the thought of him was still enough to make him upset.  
He cursed in his mind, and swore for, like, the hundredth time that he would never think of Toris again.

Speaking of fourteen years, he had grown a lot during that time. He towered above almost everyone.  
And the scarf that used to be big for him and used to sweep the floor had become a bit small. But he refused to get a new one. There was some sort of comfort for Ivan in that scarf.

Ivan glanced ahead into the foggy distance. He supposed he was almost there.  
Upon reaching America and settling down, he had searched far and wide for the asylum Natalya was in, since the people who had been in charge of her in Russia had 'lost the details'. He had also tried to find his mother and Yekaterina's address in Canada, but with no luck.  
But finally, a few days earlier, he had found Natalya and was on his way to take her away from the hell hole this instant.

Upon reaching the building, he took a deep breath and went in.

* * *

"Good day sir, how may I help you?" asked the receptionist.

"I'm here to see Natalya. I'm her brother," replied Ivan.

At first, the receptionist had a confused expression on his face.  
"Oh, Natalya!" he then exclaimed suddenly, "She's never had a visitor before.. Hence it took me a moment to understand who you were talking about."  
"Come right this way sir," he continued, indicating that Ivan should follow him.

The receptionist led Ivan up a couple of flights of stairs, through a darkened passage, to a door at the end.

"Here we are. She's behind the door. Err.. I'll be leaving now.. Natalya's attendant will be with her if you need anything.." said the receptionist backing away slowly.

'Is he.. scared?' thought Ivan to himself, confused.

Ivan opened the door and stepped inside, and what he saw made his blood boil.

The room was a relatively small one, with a few chairs near the door. Further away, bars and a small gate at the side separated the rest of the room. On the other side of the room, was another door, which probably led to the washroom.  
Behind the bars, sat a girl on a small, wooden bed. She seemed to be around twenty. She had long, light brown hair and wore a blue dress tied at the waist with a ribbon. She also had a bow in her hair.  
Natalya was a lot like how Ivan remembered her.. Only, a lot bigger.

A man, who was sitting on one of the chairs got up as Ivan entered.  
"Good evening sir, I'm Natalya's attendant. How would you be related to her? Natalya's never had a visitor before.."

"I'm her brother.." Ivan replied quietly.

He then turned around to face the attendant.  
"Why is my sister.. in a _cage_?" he continued in the same even, cool tone.

The attendant felt swept drops starting to form on his forehead.  
He could have sworn there was a dangerous, purple aura around the man.

"U-uh well t-there were safety issues.." he stuttered.

In the meantime, Natalya looked behind her at the sound of a new voice, and observed the scene with her pale, dark, blue eyes.

Ivan turned towards Natalya upon sensing her movement.

"Natalya, do you remember me? I'm your brother Ivan.." he called out softly to her

"My brother..?" she replied, tilting her head with a confused expression.

Ivan nodded, "Da. We used to have fun together when we were little.. But then, they took you away…"

"My brother.." she whispered and broke into a smile. She then began to approach Ivan.

But with each step she took, she kept getting more hysterical and scarier, until finally, when she reached the bars which separated her from the others, the blue was almost a tiny dot in the whites of her eyes and her smile had turned into a maniacal grin. She was literally giving off a dark aura.

"Big brother!~" she shrieked, clutching at the bars.  
And then, continued to chant, "Marry me! Marry me! Marry me!"

Ivan turned white. He had never expected anything like this. He backed away slowly, before giddily escaping through the door.

Once outside, he sank to the floor. The screeches of 'marry me' could still be heard from there.

The attendant followed shortly after, slamming the door behind him before wiping the sweat off his brow.  
"Man, that's one scary woman," he muttered to himself.

Ivan directed his gaze upwards, in the direction of the attendant.  
"W-what's happened to her?" he whispered, still in shock.

"Well," the attendant started off, sitting down on the floor as well, "Natalya has certainly been one of the most, err… Interesting cases we've ever had.."

"On the basis of the data we've received, we've come to the conclusion that this is due to the trauma she faced when she was little. Already having been separated from her mother, she couldn't quite comprehend or deal with the tragic death of her father. Her brain probably couldn't take the pressure and stress… and well, stopped functioning normally..  
Her reactions to even the simplest of things have become unpredictable, and hence we have to keep her behind bars. The people who took care of her in Russia said that the same issue had existed when she was little, and hence they had stopped her older brother, i.e. you, from meeting her. They didn't know how she would react, and you were little then too. They didn't want you to get traumatized as well," he continued.

"Isn't there any way we can help her?" asked Ivan.

"This is a very unique case.. We have been as nice as possible to her but that does not seemed to have helped.. Apart from that, we do not know what else we should do..."

"My name is Paul by the way," went on the attendant, introducing himself and handing over his card, "If you have any questions, or suggestions, feel free to call or visit. I must say though, the chances of her becoming completely normal again seem low.."

"Thanks.." said Ivan, taking the card.

He then made his way out of the building, staggering down the stairs and out of the building.

* * *

Ivan's mind was still numb from the experience.

He aimlessly walked down the path, turning at random lanes.  
He had no idea where he was going. It was like he was trying to escape his thoughts.

He stumbled across roads, causing cars to swerve or brake sharply.  
The owners honked accusingly or shouted at Ivan through their windows.  
But Ivan didn't hear them and didn't care. He was in his own world.

Ivan finally entered a quaint little street lined on both sided with cottages. It was almost completely dark, except for the light coming from a building at the centre of the street. This building was very different from the rest; it resembled the shape of a Chinese pagoda and had lanterns hanging from its sides. At the doorway was a sign with Chinese letters.

Ivan then recalled that he had heard about a Chinese restaurant in the region, although he had never went there.

Absent-mindedly, he entered the restaurant.

He was mildly surprised at the hustle and bustle inside. It was quite full.  
The ambience inside was rather interesting as well. The floor was covered by a patterned red carpet, and its wooden walls and pillars were adorned with all sorts of Chinese ornaments, paintings and symbols.

In the meantime, a waiter came up to Ivan.  
"Would you like a table for one sir?" he asked.

All at once, there was a loud clatter.

"Aiiyaa!"

Ivan turned around to see where the noise came from.

A waiter was kneeling down, frantically trying to collect all his fallen plates.

Ivan couldn't see his face, but he could make out that he had a slender build and his long hair was tied in a casual pony tail.

Ignoring the waiter's question, Ivan went on to help him.

As he got closer, he could hear the man swearing in Chinese and complaining about how the young people had no manners and did not watch where they were going these days.

Ivan kneeled down as well, collected the rest of the plates, and handed them over.

When the waiter looked up to take them, amethyst eyes met golden.

Ivan froze. He had never seen anything like them before.

And now that he had a better look at his face, he saw that it was actually very feminine and the waiter could easily be mistaken for a girl from afar.  
But in no way did he look weak.

"What-" began Ivan.

"Xie xie!" said the man, bowing his head before hurrying off.

"-is your name"  
Ivan blinked in surprise, before getting up and dusting himself.

Maybe he would come here again soon, he thought to himself, before apologising to the confused waiter he had left standing near the gates, and heading home.

What he didn't know was that the watchful gaze of a Japanese man standing behind one of the pillars was upon him.

* * *

**AN: ...Well that was much longer. Comparatively.. **

**The rest of the world on new year's eve: partying  
me: on my laptop writing fanfic with a bag of chocolates near me.  
/I REGRET NOTHING**

**I know I know. This chap was a bit chaotic ^^"  
**

**Oh n i have no clue what asylums are really like. I've never been to one (yet)  
So i just completely made up all the details. **

**Soo we'll have China and Japan entertaining us for a while :D  
**

**Oh and thank you so much for the reviews anons :D  
They make me ridiculously happy..  
After reading them I kept on grinning like an idiot and everyone thought I had lost it =3=**

**And thanks to amichalap too for the favourite and follow :)**


End file.
